As the US U20 National team began the 2011 cycle with a camp in California last month, one of players who will most likely be a very important figure as the team builds towards the 2011 U20 World Cup in Colombia is midfielder Amobi Okugo.

Following last week's announcement that Portuguese leaders Sporting Braga have acquired USA U20 defender Gale Agbossoumonde on loan, the young American says he is excited about joining his new club for the second half of the season.

This past week it became news that US Soccer would retain Thomas Rongen as the head coach of the USA U20 national team for the 2011 World Cup cycle. It will be Rongen's third straight cycle as head coach of the U20 team and fourth overall.

In a move that should come as no surprise, German Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin announced on their website that USA U-20 World Cup standout Bryan Arguez will be released from his contract with the team at the end of the year.

What a difference a day makes. All Thomas Rongen had to do was turn back to the pros and things changed ever so drastically overnight. While many are prone to now praise Rongen for the changes he made to right the US ship, the more pressing question is why was it not until the second game - after months of training and two friendlies in Cyprus before the tournament - that he put a passable lineup on the field?

The US put in a half-baked performance in Suez yesterday and a professional German team thoroughly punished them for their effort. The result was predictable and unsurprising - nor is it surprising that fans have jumped all over Rongen and the team.